Der Imaginäre

I just watched a new anime kid's movie on Netflix called The Imaginary. It's about a little girl and her imaginary friend who are threatened by someone who has lived for hundreds of years by devouring children's imaginary friends. I think kid's movies can be broken into two types. There are Miyazaki's films, which are the best. They were made because they had to be made. They were a compulsive expression of the artistic mind behind them and are not restricted to a juvenile viewing public. Then there are kid's movies that were made simply to be a kid's movie and make a buck from the kid audience. They range from utter trash like The Goonies to okay movies like The Imaginary. It has some good ideas in it and I guess it is worth a watch.

I was really looking forward to watching this with my kids after I saw the trailer but the end result was very disappointing for me. It had the surface charm of a Studio Ghibli flick, which we are huge fans of. What could have been a work of art sadly falls short for one very distracting reason. The story, art design, characters, world, etc. Are all fantastic and it would be a visual treat were it not for the jarring camera movements, jittering, and blurriness that are prevalent throughout the movie, especially during high action sequences. Made it very difficult for me to stay focused through the whole thing and nearly caused motion sickness in parts.

This sure seems like it belongs in the same universe as Happy! That Imaginary blue donkey. Which was dark, but amazing.

This too. Is dark and amazing. Same plot as Happy too, pretty much.

Just a couple of things keep it from being perfect. THe boy talking at the beginning is super annoying. Just repeating the same line over and over again. 2. Its dark. Very Dark for an animated film.

And the worst thing about this movie is the ending. After all that...reconnecting with BingBon and everything and the characters talk about how this will be their final adventure? But why. This practically ruins the entire rest of the film. It doesnt make any sense within the context of the movie. It just happens for no reason.

Reminds me a lot of Happy, paprika, Studio Ghiibli.

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

Kids' movies about imaginary friends might be a dime a dozen, but The Imaginary has several characteristics that make it special.

Artwork

The animation and artwork are exemplary and gorgeous. Both urban and rural environments are rendered using beautiful drawings and traditional techniques, even when rapidly evolving fantastical events are being portrayed. Remember the parade scene in Paprika? Be prepared for some similar imagery.

Story

The story in this PG rated film starts out feeling recognizable. A young girl in a troubled home with an overactive imagination not only has an imaginary friend, but she also constructs amazingly illustrated worlds into which she and her friend escape. But soon we see a darker side of her imaginary world.

Characters

We eventually see that the problems she experiences in her imaginary world must be addressed by her imaginary friend and his newfound allies. The number of characters rapidly expands including-remember this is a Japanese film-a talking cat.

Crossover

While the crossover between real and imaginary worlds is handled initially via a fairly standard Alice In Wonderland style portal, eventually the relationship between the two worlds becomes complicated as danger emerges into the real world and an accident occurs that has repercussions in the imaginary world.

Rating

This is a PG rated film. I would think carefully about how very young children will handle it. The death of a parent is referenced early on but that is a standard Disney plot point. There are some scary scenes that will frighten really young kids accustomed only to formulaic manufactured animated TV series.

My six-year-old granddaughter, already an experienced Miyazaki fan and lover of films like Bubble, Suzume, and My Oni Girl, liked it very much.

Someone with a preference for a Minions-style humor might not appreciate it. The dialogue is very well written. English voice acting is solid. Plot points are revealed in ways that assume the viewer is paying close attention.

Review copyright 2024 by Dennis D. McDonald, www ddmcd com.

The Imaginary is proof that animation is by far the best medium to tell a story like this. Everything runs on imagination and childlike wonder here and the film has more than enough visual beauty, inventive character designs and wonderful adventures to be worthy of its title. It's colourful, emotional and briefly disturbing in ways that all greatest animated films achieve, even if it's not at their level.

Rio Suzuki and Kokoro Terada have all the required energy and childlike innocence, mixed with determination and affecting sadness to lead this with ease. Issey Ogata is surprisingly creepy with an uncomfortable presence that easily matches his character's most disturbing actions and on the other end of the spectrum, everyone else does a great job of being as adorable as the imaginary friends they voice.

Yoshiyuki Momose's direction is endlessly inventive from the very beginning and can handle the bigger tonal shifts in a way that prevents them from feeling jarring. The animation in general is absolutely breathtaking, relishing the opportunity to deliver so much exciting, colourful spectacle. Kenji Tamai's score has the sweeping emotion required to really tug at the heartstrings when necessary.